Beth decided that it wouldn't be the worst idea to stay, so Chris changed back into his suit and they returned to the party. They danced a bit more, enjoyed the food, and occasionally talked with Beth's parents, or some of the more interesting adults around. One thing they made sure to do was avoid being anywhere isolated. As much as they were pretty sure no one else would cause any problems, they didn't want to take any chances.

Finally, around ten, the party wound down and it was time to go. They returned to Beth's home with her parents, where they talked for a bit longer, before Beth and Chris headed back to the lifts. "Thank you, again, for coming tonight." Beth thanked him as they got out of the limo. "This was probably the most fun I've had at one of these things, even with the… interruptions."

"You know, I kinda had fun too. Your parents are great. Plus, I got to meet some of the higher ups in the Scouts and ask them some questions, which was nice." Chris responded with a smile.

Beth smiled at him. "I'm glad." She hesitated, glancing at the lifts. "I guess… it's time for you to go, huh?"

"Well… there is something I promised I'd do before I go." Chris replied. "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date some time."

Beth froze, before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Could you have asked that in a way that didn't sound like you were asking if I wanted to get food after a movie?"

Chris scratched the back of his head. "I don't think so… maybe if I got down on one knee? That seems to add a lot of solemnity to questions."

"No! No, this is fine." Beth immediately protested, flushing fiercely. She paused, staring at Chris for a long moment, before groaning in frustration. "Ugh, why are you so- so- so you!"

"I think I was dropped as a child." Chris answered.

Beth snorted, before glaring at him. "Could you take this seriously?"

"Not if I want to maintain my sanity, no." Chris shook his head.

Beth paused. "What do you mean?"

Chris sighed. "Beth, I think I could really like you. Love you. Whatever. But… I only have two modes. Serious, and not serious. If I stay not serious, we'll be fine. I can keep getting to know you in a sane, logical manner, and slowly develop the relationship. That is good. If I get serious… I have an obsessive personality. I get in this mode where I focus on one thing and one thing only until I've drained every bit of enjoyment I possibly can out of it, and then I drop it completely. I can't imagine that'd be healthy for a relationship." Chris paused. "Keeping this as something I care about, but I don't have to care about will let me ease into it I think, so I can handle it. Of course, the level of thought I've already given this is a dangerous sign, so who knows? Maybe I'll just go crazy in a few weeks. Good luck with that."

Beth frowned. "These are not helping me say yes, you know."

"I'm aware, but I'm a big believer in honesty, especially in relationships. People should be aware of what they're signing up for, so they can make the right decision for them. If this makes you say no, then it would have happened somewhere down the line anyways, at which point we'd already be in the thick of it, which would just make things so much worse." Chris countered.

Beth sighed, shaking her head. "Of course you think that." She paused, staring at him, before groaning. "Chris, you're so- ugh, I don't know. I honestly- honestly don't know what to make of you sometimes…"

Chris sighed. "I understand. I'd still like to be friends if you're okay with that. I never got the whole 'you asked me out so we can't be friends anymore' thing. I know it's some sort of emotional thing, where people are still attached and stuff, but… I don't do that, so you don't have to worry."

Beth shook her head. "No, Chris, that's not- look, I don't get you… but I want to. You're confusing, but everything that I can understand… I like."

Chris's eyebrows rose. "Oh."

Beth nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Chris asked skeptically.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Yes!"

"So you have a date?" Derek asked. It was the following afternoon and he and Chris were getting lunch.

"Yeah, we're meeting up tonight. I'm not sure what we're going to do though… I mean, last night we went to a damn Ball! Where do I go from there? Bowling?" Chris asked, rubbing his temple.

"See, that just sounds like more balls to me." Derek replied with a grin, chuckling to himself.

"Dude, I'm serious. I actually like this girl. I don't want to fuck this up." Chris retorted with a frown.

"Okay, okay." Derek waved his hands placatingly. "Look, you're over thinking this. She has already willingly decided to spend long periods of time hanging out with you, alone. As long as you don't do something terrible, you'll be good. Bowling is a good idea, make sure you get dinner, and just focus on her. Remember, this is a date now, not a hang out. You need to ask questions about her, not just talk about dumb shit like usual."

Chris paused. "That's good advice. I would not think to ask personal questions."

Derek sighed. "I know. Honestly, your biggest advantage is that she knows you, so it's actually going to be fairly difficult for you to fuck this up."

"Yeah, it's honestly a miracle she agreed to this in the first place." Chris sighed.

"As long as you know." Derek nodded.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you're not still considering joining the Scouts, are you?"

"Of course I am. I already talked with a recruiter. They're going to be testing my ability and fitness next week." Derek replied.

Chris paused. "A recruiter? I don't need to do that, do I?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure your girlfriend is taking care of all that." Derek commented.

"Maybe… I'll need to ask." Chris muttered with a frown. "Still, I think this is a bad idea. You don't even know if we'll get assigned to the same squad!"

"I can put in a request. Even if we aren't in the same squad initially, I'm sure we'll end up together eventually." Derek retorted.

Chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just don't get why you're doing this."

"Honestly, why not? The benefits are good, I get to work with my best friend, and I actually get to use my ability. That's the problem with regular jobs. All this power we've built up to survive the Trial suddenly becomes meaningless. It's like we wasted years of effort!" Derek explained.

Chris gave him a weird look. "I'm pretty sure most people just want to forget it all. You know, because of all the death and whatnot."

"Yeah, I guess, but that just sounds boring to me." Derek sighed. "I was looking for something exciting to do, and the Scouts are perfect for that! What's more exciting than exploring the Maze?"

Chris shook his head. "Outstanding. Wonderful reasoning."

"Thank you." Derek winked back at him.

Later that evening, Chris waited by the lifts on the third level once again, waiting for Beth to arrive. Not much later, the limo arrived, and Beth stepped out, walking over to Chris with a slight flush. "Hey." She greeted him, oddly shyly.

"Hey… are you okay?" Chris asked, looking her over, wondering why she was acting weirdly.

"Huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Beth asked, cocking her head.

Chris frowned. "Okay, this is messing with me. Are you sick? Should we reschedule? Wait, if I killed you, would you get better? Do you want to test?"

"Chris, I'm fine!" Beth protested.

"Then why are you acting so weirdly? You're usually more… up than this." Chris raised his eyebrow at her.

Beth glared at him. "I- Chris, this is our first date! I was a little nervous! Not so much anymore."

"Oh, that makes sense." Chris nodded.

Beth sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I should have known it'd be like this." She grumbled, before looking back up. "So, what are we doing?"

"Well, I looked around, and there's only, like, museums and high-end restaurants around here, so I was thinking we'd get dinner here, before heading down to the seventh floor for bowling, and finally hitting the lake on the ninth for either swimming or just hanging out on the beach." Chris replied.

"That… sounds nice. Where are we eating then?" Beth asked, her expression brightening. Chris took Beth to a nice seafood restaurant nearby where he'd made reservations, and they were quickly seated. "You know, I've never been here before." Beth commented as she looked around.

"I get the feeling you haven't gotten out a lot." Chris replied, grinning slightly.

Beth flushed. "Kinda… see, my ability is a bit high maintenance, so I had to spend a lot of time training. It took all my time other than school and the social events we had to attend. It was like learning to use an entirely different set of muscles, and slowly building them up to high-tier."

"Huh. No wonder you got so into the whole, 'we can die and get stronger' thing. That's just what you've been doing your entire life." Chris commented.

"Well, no, that's more about the way things are around here. I mean, if you aren't strong, people can just push you around. You saw what happened last night. If it weren't for your ability, you'd be in the hospital right now! If I was stronger, I could have just told Daniel to screw off, and he wouldn't have dared to cause a scene like that!" Beth growled, frustration creeping into her voice as she clenched her fists.

Chris frowned. "Is it really that bad up here? I mean, down where I live, having a strong ability is a bonus, sure, but it doesn't give you free reign to do whatever you want."

"It is! It's like they think strength is the only thing that matters! The stronger you are, the better you are!" Beth exclaimed angrily. "And the worst part is, they're justified! The Trial proves that strong people make strong kids! But what's the point in that? Can we really call ourselves human if we just bow to natural selection, ignoring everything else that makes us great? It's like they've forgotten everything that brought us to this point! Our technology, our community, our intelligence, all ignored for who can throw the strongest punch!"

Chris's expression twisted. He reached out a hand, grabbing Beth's. Beth jolted slightly, looking at him in surprise, before gripping his hand harder and taking a deep breath, closing her eyes. "You okay?" Chris asked after a moment, when he noticed she'd calmed down.

Beth nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. I just… get frustrated sometimes." She replied in a quiet tone.

"I get it. When the world is broken, and there's nothing you can do to fix it, it can be hard. All you can do is focus on doing the best you can, and hoping you rub off on someone at some point." Chris sighed.

They sat in silence for a moment, until the server came by and took their order. After the server left, Beth turned back to Chris. "So, what about you? What was your childhood like?" She asked, trying to get back to a normal conversation.

"Pretty normal, I guess." Chris shrugged. "Since I didn't have an ability, there wasn't much I could do, training wise. I mean, I worked out, and I learned how to fight, but there's only so much you can do in a day before it becomes counterproductive. School wasn't that difficult, so I didn't have to spend all that much time on homework or studying, which meant I usually had quite a bit of free time. Occasionally I'd hang out with Derek, or Penny and Thad, but since they had to work on their abilities, I'd usually end up by myself. I played a lot of games, read a lot of books, watched a lot of TV, anything that could really waste time. I suppose I could have been more productive, but… well, even if I worked my ass off, learning all sorts of skills, it'd only increase my survival chances by an infinitesimal amount, and honestly? I'd rather enjoy the time I had."

Beth frowned. "It sounds like you almost expected to die."

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I did. I didn't have an ability! Even people with crap abilities had better chances than I did, and they still barely had a chance! I mean, I told myself I could get lucky, but there's a reason they make us stay in there for an entire month. Luck doesn't hold out that long."

Beth sat there stunned for a moment. "That- I- I can't imagine living with a guaranteed death sentence hanging over me… how did you- oh. That… actually explains a bit." Beth suddenly seemed to realize something.

Chris cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well… think about it. I can't imagine anything would feel like a big deal compared to dying, so you never place a lot of significance in things. You only had so much time, and you didn't want to deal with bullshit, so you developed a clear perspective on what is and isn't important. That's why you seem to be an expert in some things, and completely ignorant of others. It just… makes sense how you'd end up being you." Beth explained.

Chris frowned. "Does that mean I'm damaged?"

"No! No, absolutely not!" Beth protested immediately. "See, you aren't wrong, it's just… Well, for other people, this stuff does matter, and… we kind of have a hard time when you make it clear you don't think so. Like earlier, when I showed up for our date, I was nervous, because I cared about the date and whether it went well. When you weren't nervous, I- it made me feel like you didn't care."

"Whoa, no, I-" Chris began.

"I know." Beth cut him off. "When I listened to your plan, I knew you had to have put work into this. Plus, I thought about it, and you've already done a lot to make it clear I'm important to you, one way or another. You don't show emotions to show you care, but you do things that do. It isn't something that's wrong, it's just something I need to get used to."

Chris scratched the back of his head, his expression twisting slightly. "I guess… I just don't know how I can make it easier on you. I can't feel things I don't feel."

"I know, and you don't have to." Beth shook her head. "You let me feel what I feel. I can let you not feel what you don't feel."

Chris paused, thinking about it, before shrugging. "Fair enough." He then paused again, frowning slightly. "Has that entire conversation really been just about two questions?" He muttered incredulously.

Beth raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

Chris shook his head. "Nothing. I- I was just wondering what I should ask you next, when I realized all we've done so far is ask each other what our childhoods were like… seems like we got more out of it than we really should have."

Beth's eyebrows rose, and she smiled lightly. "I guess we did, huh? Is that a good or a bad sign?"

Chris shrugged. "No idea, but at least we know we won't run out of things to talk about."

Not much later, their food arrived, and they turned the conversation to lighter things. Chris asked Beth about her hobbies, which, since her life had mostly revolved around training, were mostly physical. Her dad didn't want everything to just be work, so he'd incorporated a lot of games into her training, such as tennis, basketball, or really any sport that could be played with just two players.

She particularly enjoyed tennis because it really 'stretched' her ability. She had to be able to not only stretch as far as she could, but also maintain her strength and control as she did, so she could send the ball back as hard and accurately as possible. She'd also learned a few instruments to increase her dexterity, and her favorite was the piano. Unlike tennis, she barely had to use her ability at all to play the piano, and she could just let herself drift with the music, almost meditating as she played.

Chris shook his head. "I can't believe you can play five instruments. I spent years trying to learn one and I still can't play it!"

"Oh? Which one?" Beth asked, cocking her head.

"Violin. I mean, I can get it to make the right sounds, but I just can't figure out how to get my fingers to make the right movements. Anything I play always sounds very… stilted, even after I've practiced for ages. It's like my brain refuses to turn it into muscle memory." Chris explained with a sigh, before frowning. "Now that I think about it, I struggle to turn anything into muscle memory… I always have to be very deliberate with my actions."

"Do you think it has something to do with how you're constantly aware of your own strength?" Beth asked curiously.

Chris nodded slowly. "Maybe… I do think about how much strength I put into doing things a lot. It makes me focus on each individual step, which may keep me from melding the steps together as a whole. I can't break out of the step by step by step mentality."

"That's probably it then. See, with music, while you do have to get the right notes, the transition between the notes is what really matters. That's what makes the music flow. Note by note by note will just sound, well, stilted." Beth explained.

Chris frowned. "Well, shit, I don't know how to fix that."

They continued to talk like that throughout the rest of the date, slowly revealing bits and pieces about how they both worked, slowly understanding how they could fit together. For Beth, Chris was like a solid rock that kept her grounded. When she got too excited, or frustrated, or anything, he'd be right there to help her recenter. For Chris, Beth was like a window that gave him a glimpse of a different world. She could project her emotions in a way that made sense even to him, and she had a gift for explaining why she was feeling what she felt, that made things so clear. Things he'd never understood, even after other people had repeatedly explained it to him, suddenly made sense when it came from her.

"I don't know how I thought this date would go, but… it wasn't like this." Beth sighed as they sat on a small hill overlooking the lake on the ninth floor.

"What do you mean?" Chris frowned. He'd thought the date had been going pretty well, and quickly began reviewing what he'd done to see where he'd made the mistake. Should he have done something other than bowling? Was the lake boring? Did he make too many puns?

"Well… I knew I was going to enjoy myself. I like hanging out with you, and I didn't expect to suddenly not just because this was a date. I expected to get to know you better, because I could ask some more pointed questions. I even expected I might get closer to you, because it is a date, and that's why we're here. It's just…" Beth paused, looking over at him, her heart beating faster as she licked her lips nervously. "I knew I liked you, but I never expected to really fall for you. I don't know if this is all going to work out in the end, but right now… I really, really want it to."

Chris's thoughts suddenly froze. "So… I didn't mess up?"

Beth rolled her eyes, smiling as she did. "No, you didn't. Tonight was… perfect."

"Oh good." Chris nodded in relief, his brain slowly beginning to work again, before he suddenly processed what she'd just said, and it crashed again. "You-"

"Don't say anything." Beth suddenly interrupted him. "Just show me." She whispered as she leaned in, pressing her lips against his. Chris's eyes widened, stunned for a moment, before he began kissing her back. His eyes closed as he leaned in, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer, as if he couldn't bear to be even an inch further from her than he had to be. Slowly, their lips parted, and their tongues began to hesitantly touch and explore, slowly becoming bolder and bolder, until Beth literally wrapped her tongue around Chris's, gently squeezing and massaging it as she slowly pulled it back, and Chris pulled away from the kiss, flushing heavily. "Was that not good?" Beth asked nervously, thinking he didn't like it.

"No, no, that was- that was good. Uh, I just… need to calm down." Chris muttered, trying to ignore a certain member of his anatomy.

"But I like that you're so passionate." Beth retorted. "I want you to let yourself go a little… it helps me understand that you care." She elaborated, climbing into his lap, leaning in to continue their kiss.

"Wait, Beth-" Chris began to warn her before she sat down, but it was too late.

As Beth pressed herself against him, she felt something hard poke her. She looked down, confused, before her eyes widened and she jumped out of his lap with a yelp, flushing furiously. "Why- what are you-" Beth stammered, gesturing towards the offending area.

Chris sighed helplessly. "It's just what happens when guys get excited. Especially after that tongue thing…" Chris trailed off, a dull look in his eyes as his thoughts drifted towards unsavory areas.

"Tongue thing? What's so-" Beth frowned in confusion, before her gaze landed on a certain place again and she flushed even deeper. "Oh."

Chris frowned. "Oh? That's it? I was expecting to get hit or something. Probably get called disgusting while we're at it."

Beth fiddled with her fingers, refusing to look at Chris. "I- well it's just- if- if we are going to be together… I- I shouldn't be surprised if you look at me in a… sexual light. I'm just- I'm not ready for that yet."

"Oh, no, I agree. I don't believe in having sex until you're ready to deal with the consequences." Chris shook his head. "I just, you know, can't help my biology."

Beth looked up in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, there are certain things a body can't help but do when sti-" Chris began.

"Not that! The consequences thing!" Beth rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that. Well, you know I grew up in an orphanage, right?" Chris asked and Beth nodded. "Well, a good portion of the kids there are there because someone had a one night stand, got pregnant, and abandoned the kid. I get that they aren't prepared to deal with the kid, and if they kept them it'd be a huge burden on their life, but… they knew that before they had sex! They know sex makes kids! Is that small bit of pleasure really more important than risking ruining your own child's life? I'm not knocking the orphanage, it's a psychological thing. When you know you're there, not because your parents died, but because they didn't want you… it does something to you, and it's hard for some people to get over it. I just don't get why you'd risk something like that over a little bit of fun."

"I never really thought of it that way…" Beth muttered. "I've always focused on the emotional aspect. I've seen a lot of my friends get way too physical way too fast, and it pretty much guarantees the relationship is going to blow up. There are so many emotions involved that they're completely irrational, and even people who seemed like they should have been a good match become each other's worst enemies. I've never considered the consequences of something going wrong and all of the sudden these two people have a child together."

"Yeah, that's a whole other sort of mess you don't want to deal with." Chris nodded. "Honestly, it's just best to leave sex until after you're married. I mean, if you aren't ready to marry someone, you definitely aren't ready to have a kid with them."

Beth gave Chris a weird look, before shaking her head. "I can't get over how we always end up on the same page, despite being so different."

"Well, to be fair, we're right, so it kinda makes sense to be on the same page." Chris pointed out.

Beth snorted. "It isn't all about right and wrong. I mean, look at the elitism in the upper ranks. We know catering to strength will improve our society. That isn't wrong. It also isn't wrong to believe that you shouldn't disregard people just because they're weak. It's just a matter of opinion, but we're on the same side."

"I dunno, bullying people just because they're weaker than you still seems wrong to me." Chris retorted with a frown.

"Well, yes, but that isn't the part I'm talking about. I'm talking about the part that puts more significance on certain people just because they're strong." Beth elaborated.

"Ah… okay, yeah, I can see that. It isn't wrong, per se, we just don't agree with it. Gotcha." Chris nodded.

"Right, and we do that a lot! I just… it's a little weird, you know?" Beth commented.

"I guess… but maybe that's why we're so compatible. Even though we grew up differently, think differently, act differently, we share the same values. We're both working from the same foundation, so even though we've branched out differently, we can still fit together at our cores." Chris theorized thoughtfully.

Beth smiled, scooting closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "I like the way we fit together."

Chris grinned back, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Me too."